Improved nut-craoeer



E. L. PRATT,A OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Leners Patent No. meinem@ filmt 31,1868;

nvtPR'ovnD NUT-entente..

@igt tlgitule nicht in in time when' atiut zum limiting putt nt Uptime.

me ALL WHOM In MAY ooNoEnN:

'Be -it known thatv I, E. L. PRATLjof Boston, in the county of'SuiTclk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Arrangement of Levers for Operating Jaws for Nut-Crackers, Ste.; and I do hereby declare that the following-,taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part ofl this s peciliczttion,A is ade'scriptionofv my invention sucient to` enable those skilled inthe art to practise it. I My invention relates to the method of combining levers tooperate jaws or similar devices, which are jointed at one end, and close and ,spread open at the other, :is do the members ot nut-crelokers shears, pincers, -and lsimilar tools.V

My invention consists in combining, with one jaw or member of such atoolor instrument, a bent lever, one arm of which (made vcryshort) is l jointed to and acts upon one ofthe jaws, through pressure upon the end of the lonr arm of the lever, the.' lever being hung upon a movable fulcru'm mounted-4in bearings or links, jointed to the opposite jc'w or member, so thatwhile the fulcrum ofthe lev'er is kept at a fixed distance from the opposite jaw, it is enabled to swing'back as theshortarm of the lever depresses the jawl to which Vit'is connected.

The drawing represents lmy invention embodiednpon a: pair of jaws't be used asnut-erackers.

t and bdenote two jaws, (which in this case are made, one stationary and one Inovable,) they beingjointed together at c. d denotes the hzmdle'or lever by which the jaws are broughttowrds'and separated from each other. This leveris fulcrnmed in bearings or links e, (one on` each side ,of the jam) whiehlinks are 'preferably jointed to the lower jawanond yso as' to swing-upon thejoint-pin j". Ashort arm, g, of the lever, extends down to the adjacent jaw 6,1 and is jointed thereto bye lpin, h, while the longer-m of the lever extends rearwards over said jaw. I

` When the jaws are open, the lever and its fulcrunJ-'link :ire in the position denoted by red lines,`the short arm ofthe lever inclining from a. vertical position." If the lever-handle be now depressed, the arm g, in assum.4 ing a vertical position, forces down the jaw l1and compresses, breaks, or cuts the nctter pla-cod between the jaws, the fulcrum z' swinging hack to allow the arm g to come'into vertical position, o r into right-angular position to the jaw upon which it-acts. l i

By thus making the fulcruin z'nlcvable, (while'jonted to or with respect to` thejaw 5,) I am enabled tojoint the lever directly to the jaw vb, and to ohviate the wear by friction which would be caused it' the bearingse were made stationary, with the shc'rtn-rrn ot'` the lever-acting upon the surface of the jaw I) like a wiper or cam.

Instead of connecting the fulcrum to the stationaryjnw by'a straight link, I curve the links, as .seen in the drawing, and thereby make the'acting` surfaces of thc'jcws accessible alongl the whole or nearly the whole length thereof. p A

. I claim, in combination with jointed jaws a b, the lever d, jointed to onejaw 6, and hung upon a. swinging fulcrum, substantially as described.

I also Aclaim connect-ing the lever to the jawa by the curved link or links c, substantially as :Lndfor the purpose set forth.

E. Ii. PRATT.

Witnesses' J. B. CROSBY, FRANCIS GoULD. 

